


Finish What We Started

by Aspiring



Category: Preath Relationship
Genre: F/F, PREATH - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:40:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22568746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aspiring/pseuds/Aspiring
Summary: Christen Press is a advertising executive consumed by her work and Tobin Heath is a lonely semi-retired soccer superstar who are introduced by their friend Allie Long. This story is about how a little meddling and a lot of attraction can lead to something wonderful in the City that Never Sleeps.
Relationships: Kelley O'Hara/Emily Sonnett, Tobin Heath/Christen Press
Comments: 73
Kudos: 286
Collections: Preath





	1. New York City Winter

**Author's Note:**

> This is my very first attempt at writing a fan fiction. I have read sooo many of them and decided I wanted to try my hand at writing one since I'm so in love with these women. Preath makes me happy and I hope reading this story makes you just as happy. Suggestions, comments and kudos are truly appreciated. I've written a few chapters but I want to proof read them one more time before posting, so I'm looking to post one at a time, a few days apart.
> 
> The title was inspired by the song "Finish What We Started" by Jesse ware. 
> 
> Anyway! Enjoy guys! :)

It was one of those mornings where you just wanted to stay in bed. The temperature outside was a frigid 29 degrees. The skies were cloudy and gray. The chance of snow was highly likely. No one should have to do anything but stay in bed on days like these. That is precisely what Tobin was thinking when she woke up to the sound of her alarm at 6 AM. “Why did I go out last night?” Tobin said to herself as she rolled over to silence the increasingly annoying alarm on her phone. Once she silenced her alarm she squinted at her phone to check if she had any new messages. She did, from all of the usual suspects, her best friend of over 15 years, Megan Rapinoe. Everyone called her Pinoe because well…it’s just so much cooler than Megan. Her very close friend and very nosey neighbor Allie, and of course her mom. Her sweet, sweet, loving, nurturing, and super needy mom.

Pinoe ( _3:04 AM)_ : Nice Irish Goodbye dude! Let me know you’re home safe. Also, I met a girl! I think she’s the one…for real this time! Text me when you’re up.

Allie ( _5:45 AM_ ): Don’t think I didn’t hear you sneaking in at 3 AM…text me when you’re back from your run…slut.

Mom ( _8:45 PM)_ : Honey, are you coming home this weekend? Call me.

“I have GOT to get a life…and possibly some new friends.” Tobin grumbled as she reluctantly pulled the soft, warm covers off her body and walked over to her bathroom. It didn’t matter how late she got in on any night, decades of being an elite athlete did not allow her to sleep in. Her body was trained to wake up and get moving every day. The 6 AM alarm was set to beat her internal clock that way she could get a super early start on her day. So here she was, up at an ungodly hour, on a Saturday morning, in the middle of a New York City winter getting ready to go out on her daily run. Tobin slowly walked down the steps from her 2nd floor loft style apartment in West Harlem clad in a pair of black Nike joggers, a black Nike dri-fit long sleeve shirt, an orange headband to keep her ears warm and black gloves. She was ready to hit the road.

She could’ve bought an apartment anywhere really. Money was not an issue, but she chose Harlem because of the history, the culture, the live music scene, the food, the close proximity to downtown Manhattan where she spent a good amount of time and Morningside Park where she would cool down from her runs through the neighborhood, have some coffee and people watch. Running, and playing in pick-up games two to three times a week were pretty much the only two things Tobin did nowadays, besides the occasional night out with Pinoe “to bless the ladies with her presence” as she would say, to which Tobin would always reply under her breath with, “poor ladies”. At the bottom of the stairs Tobin stretched a bit before bracing herself, opening the heavy front door to the brownstone and heading out into the freezing cold. It turns out freezing was an understatement. It was bone chilling cold this morning! The air made her eyes and nose sting, but it also woke her right up and motivated her to move faster so that her body could warm up. As the blocks turned into avenues and the avenues turned into miles, Tobin didn’t mind the cold anymore. She lost herself in her run and the music coming through her headphones.

On her way back to the apartment after what turned into a five mile run, she stopped at her favorite local coffee shop to get a latte for herself and a cappuccino for Allie. She figured she may as well get the interrogation Allie would put her through over with early so that she could enjoy the rest of her Saturday. When she opened the front door to the brownstone she shared with Allie the first thing she saw was the blonde’s head poke out of her 1st floor apartment door.

“Harry! Thanks for the coffee!” Tobin rolled her eyes at Allie and said “How do you even know this is for you? I’m a slut remember? This could be for the sexy lady or ladies I have waiting for me in my bed right now.” Tobin said with a smirk on her face. Allie laughed heartily at Tobin’s comment.

“That was clearly a joke Harry. In the 3 years you’ve lived in this building you have brought home a total of four women, your mom, your sisters and Pinoe respectively. I would bet my Louboutin red bottom pumps that your bed is empty, cold and unmade at this very moment. Now bring your sweaty butt in here. I’ll make us breakfast and you’ll tell me about all the beautiful ladies you turned away last night, because you’re dead set on dying alone in your gorgeous apartment with an old soccer ball at your feet.”

Tobin had to laugh at how well Allie knew her and how annoying it was that she did. She chuckled and rolled her eyes as she pushed her way into Allie’s apartment with a “shut up and make me pancakes.”


	2. Guess Who's Coming To Dinner

Tobin doesn’t even know when it happened, but Allie had convinced her to come with her to a friend’s house on the Upper West Side for dinner that evening. After trying to come up with excuse after excuse for why she “couldn’t” go including the horrible weather, Allie had finally worn her down with the promise of some very cute puppies to snuggle at said friend’s apartment. At 5 o’clock that evening after a long nap and binge watching some Netflix Tobin rolls herself off the couch and begins to get ready. Just as she was starting to pick out an outfit for dinner that consisted of one of her two sizes too large hoodies, a pair of tight jeans and a snap back, she hears a knock at the door. It could be one of one person, Allie. Still, she looks through her peep hole to be sure and opens the door with a sigh. “I’m pretty sure I still have a half hour before we’re supposed to leave.”

  
“Yeesss, but I wanted to come up and make sure you didn’t embarrass me by wearing well…what you usually wear.”

  
Tobin throws her hand up to her chest in mock offense. “I’m hurt Harry. I’m hurt! I’ll have you know that I have had ZERO complaints about my wardrobe like ever. Also, who cares about what I wear? Aren’t we going to a friend’s apartment? Is this friend a snob or something?”

“No, not a snob. The complete opposite actually. SHE is a lovely, smart, kind human who also happens to be gorgeous and I may or may not want you to look your best-just in-“ Tobin cuts her off-

  
“YOU! Tobin yells. I KNEW you were up to something!! Puppies?! Did you lie about the puppies?! Is this just some ploy to set me up with your friend? Come on Harry! I’m fine! I don’t need to be set up.”

  
“No, no, no. First of all, I would never lie about puppies, and this isn’t a ploy…I just thought you could use some social interaction with a beautiful woman, besides me obvi, outside of a bar. And hear me out, I think you two would hit it off! Just give it a chance for me Harry? If you’re not attracted to her, then the worst thing that can happen is that you make a friend who has incredibly adorable PUPPIES! Okay? Now can I help you pick out something to wear? Plllleeasse??”

  
Tobin sighs. Allie has a point. And she was very much looking forward to the puppies and not to mention that her social life could use some help, so without saying a word she turns her back to Allie and walks towards her bedroom. Allie follows with a smirk. She walks straight into Tobin’s extremely large for a New York City closet and starts picking out an outfit for her. 20 minutes later Allie is very proud of herself. “Harry, you STUD! I might be questioning my sexuality right now. You look HAWT!”

  
Tobin flashes Allie her famous megawatt smile and gives her two thumbs up.

  
“Okay, I’m straight again. Don’t do that with the thumbs up while we are at Christen's dork. But definitely use that smile. Use it a lot.”

“Oh, your friend has a name! Does she know you are trying to set us up or did you deceive her too?”

  
“Whatever Harry. Thank me later by naming your first born after me. I’m going to order the UBER before we’re late. And, don’t you dare throw on a snap back! It’ll mess up the look I’m going for.”

  
Tobin takes one more look at herself in the massive floor length mirror against the brick wall in her bedroom. Allie had picked her out some extra tight black jeans, a crisp white, long sleeve Henley shirt and Tobin’s favorite leather jacket, a black patterned infinity scarf along with some black leather booties. Her hair was down and naturally wavy. Tobin was pleased with how it had air dried. She was wearing very minimal makeup. Only enough to accentuate her honey brown eyes and plump lips. She had to admit she did look pretty good. She threw on some of her favorite cologne for good measure, if she was going to do this, she might as well do it all the way, right?

  
Five minutes later they were in an UBER on their way to “Christen’s” apartment. Tobin had not wanted to admit it to herself earlier, but now, only 10 minutes away from their destination, she started to feel her stomach churn with nervousness. She began to think- what if this Christen IS a snob? What if I'm not attracted to her? What if I have to pretend all night for Allie’s sake? What if I'm attracted to Christen but she isn't attracted to me? But worst of all, what if there actually weren’t any puppies? That was the real reason she was going anyway…

  
Allie must have heard her thinking because she suddenly nudged her shoulder and said “Harry, I love you, but if you don’t stop worrying about nothing, I’m going to open this door and throw you into oncoming traffic.”

  
Just as Allie was finishing her sentence the UBER was pulling up to a building with a door man. He opened the door to the car for the ladies and they made their way into the building. Tobin took in her surroundings. The building’s lobby was quite beautiful. It had a mid-century modern feel to it which Tobin could appreciate. This Christen person must be well off to be able to afford to live in a building like this especially on the Upper West Side. Tobin wondered what she did for a living. She must be pretty accomplished she thought. The girls made their way into the spacious elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. The whole elevator ride Tobin was anxious, she was even more anxious when the elevator doors opened and she unwillingly followed Allie out and into the hallway towards Christen’s apartment. Allie rang the doorbell once and waited. A few seconds later they heard a slightly high-pitched, but also melodic woman’s voice coming from the other side of the door saying “Be right there!”

  
When the door swings open and Tobin sees the woman, it’s almost as if time stands still. She can’t hear anything except the beating of her own heart, she can’t move, she can’t speak, all she can do is stand and stare because she does not think she has ever seen anything or anyone as beautiful as the woman standing in front of her in that moment. The woman was about an inch taller than Tobin with flawless caramel skin, a pair of piercing yet warm green-gray eyes and beautiful, soft dark curls which were cascading over one shoulder. She was wearing an emerald green knit sweater that complimented her eyes and her complexion along with a pair of tight high-waisted blue jeans that accentuated her athletic legs. The woman smiled at them and if Tobin thought time was standing still before, she must be dead now, because no one should have a smile that white and that gorgeous.

  
“Chris!!” Allie says as she reaches out to bring the woman into a tight embrace. “Hey Al! Kelley and Emily are here already.” Christen looks past Allie to Tobin, “And this must be your friend Tobin right?” She extends her hand out to Tobin and flashes that smile again. Is she trying to kill me? Tobin thinks.

  
“Hi Tobin, I’m Christen. It’s nice to meet you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so they meet. What do you guys think so far?


	3. Calm Before The Storm

It was a quarter to 6 AM on Saturday morning when Christen woke up. She stretched out on her bed and yawned. In her 33 years of life she could probably count on one hand the amount of times she had slept in. Her body’s internal clock had woken her up at this time for as long as she can remember. It used to bother her, especially when she was so tired and could literally not sleep in, but she’s come to embrace it. After all, waking up so early had its perks, she was able to meditate and do yoga all before the sun rose in the sky, her day was longer allowing her to get more done then most and she got to take her two dachshunds out for a long walk before the city woke up. The night before she had gone to bed early. Work had been killer that week and the commute home, such long days that week had really worn her out. Friday evening, as soon as she came in the door she got her dogs ready for a walk. All she wanted to do was take a long hot shower to get the work and public transportation off of her body and go to bed. By 9 PM Christen was on her third dream.

She rolled over in bed on Saturday morning and checked her phone for new messages. She had texts from her very best friend Kelley O’Hara. She had known Kelley since they were freshmen in college at Stanford. They had been assigned roommates their first year and the rest was history. When they graduated they had both taken jobs with Fortune 500 companies based out of New York City. The move to the East Coast had not been easy for Christen. Her whole life was in California. It was all she ever knew, but having Kelley with her helped so much with the dramatic change. Over the years, Kelley had become her constant. She knew that if Kelley was by her side, she could get through anything.

Kelley ( _9:03 PM_ ): Emily and I are going out tonight. There’s a new girl party in SoHo. We’ve heard it’s a good time. You should come! Let me know and I’ll send you the deets.

Kelley _(9:58 PM)_ : Pressy?

Kelley ( _10:00 PM):_ Omg, you’re like 100 years old, I can’t. I guess you’re asleep…actually, I KNOW you’re asleep. Have sweet dreams grandma. I’ll call you tomorrow morning to coordinate dinner.

Kelley ( _3:22 AM)_ : You soooo missed out Press! Next time you’re coming and I won’t take no for an answer. There were some sophisticated mamas out tonight. You totally could’ve gotten laid. Lord knows you need it ;).

Christen rolled her eyes and laughed to herself. She knows Kelley means well. She just wants Christen to get out and meet someone, but Christen was perfectly fine being alone. She had a routine that worked for her. She was focused on her career and her dogs. That’s all she needed right now. Sure she felt lonely sometimes, but that’s just human nature. It wasn’t anything that a good cuddle session with Jace and Morena, her two rescues couldn’t fix. Jace and Morena were long-haired dachshunds Christen had adopted through a local rescue just over a year ago now. They were the light of her life. They brought a smile to her face after the hardest of days. She didn’t know what her life had even been before them. When she went to the local rescue she hadn’t intended on adopting two dogs, but she first fell in love with Jace and when she was told that Jace and Morena were brother and sister, she didn’t have the heart to break them apart. So, she took the leap and adopted them both, a decision she will never regret. As if on cue, Jace jumped onto the bed and leapt at her face to give her his daily dose of morning kisses.

“Okay, okay. You know the drill buddy. Mommy has to get her meditation and yoga in then we’ll go for a long walk.”

After completing her morning routine and settling down on the couch with her dogs and a hot cup of coffee she figured she’d text Kelley back even though there was no way Kelley was up yet after staying out so late the night before, but she needed to let Kelley know what time to head over for dinner that night. She had reluctantly agreed to host a dinner party at her apartment for her friends with everyone agreeing that Christen was the best cook and so it made the most sense for her to host. It wasn’t going to be a big gathering. She was just expecting Kelley, her long-time girlfriend Emily, her childhood friend Allie, who she had recently reconnected with through Facebook, and a good friend of Allie’s named Tobin. Christen found the name peculiar. She had never met anyone with that name before and frankly Christen wondered if Tobin was a man or a woman, but she didn’t want to ask Allie, because who cares, right?

Christen, ever the planner, needed to make sure everyone had an itinerary and menu for the night, so she sent Allie and Kelley everything she thought they needed to know before she started cleaning the apartment. Not that it wasn’t already clean, but Christen needed it to be extra clean if she was going to have company over, especially people she had never met before. Once the apartment was as clean as it was going to get, Christen went to her bedroom and into her closet trying to decide what she would wear. Just as she was making some progress her phone rang. It was Kelley sounding the worse for wear after her late night out.

“Pressy…dude…dude…what a night. WHAT A NIGHT! Man, you missed out.”

“I’m sure Kels. I’m sooo sad I missed it, really, I am.”

“Mmhhmm. I’m sure. It doesn’t matter, we’re going again in two weeks. You’re coming this time, so it’s fine. Anyway, for tonight, we’ll bring the wine. Also, who is this Tobin person? Is that Allie’s date?”

“No, it’s a friend of hers that lives in her building. I honestly don’t know anything about them. I’m sure they’re nice. Allie wouldn’t invite anyone she thought was a tool.”

“Hmm, okay. WELP, we’ll be there at 5ish to help with whatever. See you soon Pressy.”

“See ya Kels. Oh, and please tell Emily to behave tonight. That goes for you too. I don’t want you guys scaring Tobin off.”

“I’m hurt Press. If we are anything, it is charming and amicable, so I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that. Love you, mean it, byeee.”

“Byeeee.”

Christen giggles as she looks back at her closet and thinks, _I have nothing to wear…_

At around 3 o’clock her phone rings again. It’s Allie calling.

“Hey Al.”

“Hey Chris! I got your text about dinner. Thanks again for letting me invite Tobin. She really needs to get out more. This will be good for her. I think you guys will hit it off…ALL of you!”

_Oh, so Tobin is a she and Allie thinks we’ll hit it off? Is Allie trying to set me up? I really, really hope not._

“Uh, of course! The more the merrier. If she’s anything like you, I’m sure we’ll love her too.”

“Awesome. Is there anything specific you need us to bring? We already picked up some wine.”

“That’s perfect. The food is all taken care of so don’t worry about that. We’ll see you both soon!”

“Can’t wait! Bye.”

Once Christen hangs up, she has a weird feeling in her gut. _Allie wouldn’t just try to set her up with her friend Tobin without saying anything would she? No._ Christen was just overthinking things as usual.

_Get it together Christen. You only have a couple of hours before Kelley gets here which means you need to have everything prepped beforehand because she is going to be no help._

Christen finally settles on an emerald green sweater that she thinks brings out her eyes and compliments her complexion and a pair of form fitting jeans. She doesn’t bother taming her curls, she lets them hang loose and puts on some light mascara and some lip gloss. Happy with how she looks, she heads into the kitchen and gets to work.

Less than two hours later Christen’s doorbell rings, followed by a barrage of obnoxious fast, loud knocks. Christen doesn’t even need to look through the peep hole to know who it is. She opens the door for Kelley who blows right past her with an “OMG, I’m gonna piss myself!” as she sprints to the nearest bathroom. Emily stands there with a smirk on her face. “Hey Chris, sorry, she isn’t house trained yet.” Christen giggles and brings Emily into a hug. “Hey Em. I know that all too well. Come in. I hope you brought your appetite. I might have over done it with the food.” “Oh, don’t you worry Press. I always bring my appetite.”

Kelley comes back from the bathroom sighing “I really didn’t think I was going to make it. That was SO scary. I shouldn’t have pounded all of that water before we left. What can we do to help Pressy?” Kelley says as she bends down to pick up Jace who has been trying to get her attention since she ran through the door. Kelley coos at Jace, _hi my fluffy! I missed you little legged man! Give aunt KO kisses._

Christen has to laugh. Kelley was so good with her dogs. They adored her. Christen strongly believes that dogs overall are the best judge of character. They took a liking to Kelley and Emily right away. 

“So what time are Allie and this mysterious Tobin person getting here?” Kelley says in between licks from Jace.

“Um, they should be here in a little less than an hour and Tobin is a girl by the way. I spoke with Allie earlier today. She thinks we’ll hit it off. I mean, all of us will hit it off with her, with Tobin that is! So that’s cool.” Christen rambles.

Emily laughs, “It sounds like maybe Allie hopes YOU and Tobin will hit it off to me. What do you think babe?”

“I think you might be right sweetie, and I also think this is going to be so much fun! And relax Pressy, IF Allie is trying to set you up with Tobin, then she must be a really great person. If you don’t hit it off romantically, the worst thing that can happen is that you make a new a friend, right?”

In the back of her head Kelley is thinking, _Tobin...like Tobin Heath? How cool?!_

“Guys! Calm down. You’re jumping to conclusions. And, I’m pretty sure that I have been clear about not needing to be set up and that I’m happy with how my life is right now. I don’t need to date or be in a relationship to be happy. I’m perfectly content with my day to day as it is, so don’t get your hopes up. Lets just enjoy dinner and eachother’s company tonight.”

“I’m down with that Chris. So, what we can help with?” Emily says

“You can set the table and watch Kelley. Make sure she doesn’t eat all of the appetizers or breaks anything before Allie and Tobin get here.”

Kelley looks up in shock at that comment, but then quickly relents as she grabs two pieces of bruschetta and goes into the dining room to help Emily set the table.

Shortly afterwards they hear the doorbell. Kelley starts to run towards the door in excitement and Christen quickly cuts her off and points back towards the living room as she calls out “be right there!”

Christen takes a deep breath before she swings her door open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "She isn't reeadddyyy!" 
> 
> Thank you for all of the comments and the kudos! I hope you all like this chapter. I'm working on editing another one and posting it in a little bit! 
> 
> Side note, I cannot wait for the game today! LFG!!!


	4. Let Me Introduce Myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the delay posting. I've been swamped! This is the last pre-written chapter I had, so it's probably going to be a little while longer before I post the next one. But, I hope you guys like the story so far. Thank you so much again for all of the kudos and your comments. They really warm my heart! 
> 
> Enjoy cuties!

Christen doesn’t know quite know how she even finds the words to speak, but she manages to get out a “Hi, I’m Christen. It’s nice to meet you.” and extends her hand out to Tobin. Christen thinks she’s seen a lot of beautiful women in her life. She likes to think that she’s not bad looking herself and she’s never been dumb founded by any beautiful woman she has ever come across in her life, but in this moment, she finds herself struggling for air. She thinks Tobin is quite possibly the most attractive woman she has ever seen. _Is it even legal to have a smile that beautiful?_ Christen thinks as Tobin reaches out and takes her hand in greeting. They stand there not letting go of eachother’s hand and staring into each other’s eyes for so long that Allie needs to break the uncomfortable silence.

“Hey Chris, can we come in or…?”

Christen is quickly shaken out of her daze. “OMG, yes, sorry. Yes! Come in, please, please.” She steps aside and lets the women into her apartment. As soon as the women walk in the door Jace and Morena are at their feet begging to be pet. Tobin is so happy to see the dogs that she momentarily forgets about the beauty behind her and quickly drops down to her knees and lets them both lick her face. She lifts up Morena and starts talking to her “Aren’t you just a beautiful baby girl? Oh my gosh. I think I love you already.” She puts Morena down and quickly scoops up Jace and coos at him as well “Aren’t you just the fluffiest little man on Earth. Yes, yes, you are. Mhhmm.” Christen watches from her position by the door with a smile on her face as Tobin dotes on her dogs. _Is it possible that Tobin is even more attractive now then she was a minute ago?_

Christen speaks up, “Can I take your jackets?” She reaches out to grab Allie and Tobin’s jackets. As Tobin hands her her jacket their hands brush and Christen’s whole body heats up at the contact. _What is happening?_ Christen thinks.

She is not the only one who felt the electricity as their hands brushed. Tobin is finding it hard to focus as she slowly follows Allie’s lead further into the apartment. Tobin has met many beautiful women in her life. Tobin has dated and slept with many beautiful women in her life, but at the mere sight of Christen she forgot how to breathe. _What is happening? Get it together Tobin. She’s just another beautiful woman_. She thinks. She puts all of her effort into focusing and being her usual casual, cool self. Nothing ever really phases her, she’s not about to let this. Tobin takes in her surroundings. Christen’s apartment is quite beautiful, massive by New York City standards, and very tastefully decorated. After walking through the front door and down the entry way, the first thing you see is a very spacious open layout. The living room is lined by three very large windows. The view of the city from them is fantastic. The furniture in the living room is modern but looks extremely comfortable, especially the velvet green sectional couch that is facing a large mounted flat-screen tv and a working fire place. The living room opens up into a big, bright, white kitchen, complete with copper appliances, including a double-oven. The island is a large slab of marble that can easily sit four. Off to the side and left of the kitchen is a formal dining room and to the right of the kitchen seems to be where all of the bedrooms are. Tobin is really impressed.

“Allie hey!!!” she hears as she’s brought out of her thoughts. Two women are walking over to them from the dining room. She takes them in. One is a shorter brunette, with freckles for days, pretty eyes and a killer smile. The other is a blonde around the same height as the brunette, with kind, pretty blue eyes and an incredible energy Tobin can feel by just standing in front of her. They both greet Allie like old friends and Allie turns to introduce Tobin. As the women direct their attention to her, both of their jaws drop and their eyes go wide. Tobin has seen that look before, they must be women’s soccer fans. She timidly and says “Hi, I’m Tobin.” with a shy wave.

The brunette speaks first “Holy shit. You’re Tobin Heath.”

Tobin chuckles at that, _it never gets old_ , she thinks as she extends her hand to the girl. “That’s what they call me. What do they call you?”

“Uh, uh…” The blonde finally speaks up for her, “They call her your biggest fan usually, but her actual name is Kelley and I’m her girlfriend Emily. It’s nice to meet you Tobin. Sorry, we are just a little star struck. Christen didn’t mention we would be dining with soccer royalty tonight.” Emily chuckles.

Tobin smiles her megawatt smile and says, “Holy shit, is Abby Wambach here? I didn’t know she was coming to dinner!” At that they all laugh, breaking the tension a bit. Christen has been watching the whole exchange from the kitchen and she cannot help but think that this is the literal first time Kelley has ever been rendered speechless in their entire friendship. It’s quite comical. She also thinks that it makes sense that Tobin is an elite athlete, because it would explain the rippling muscles that are all too on display through that, casual, sexy outfit she’s wearing. _Who the hell looks that good in a white shirt and jeans??_

They all gather in the kitchen, picking on some delicious appetizers that Christen and Emily managed to keep Kelley away from until Tobin and Allie arrived. Christen pours them all some red wine, giving herself an extra generous pour because God knows, she needs it.

Dinner goes off without a hitch. They all talk about their jobs (mostly everyone just wanted to hear about Tobin’s adventures with the USWNT), their plans for the rest of the year, and their families. Half way through dinner Kelley finds her words and loosens up enough to get back to her slightly inappropriate, squirrelly self, making everyone laugh. Tobin thinks she really likes Kelly and Emily. She hopes she can stay in touch with them after that night. Throughout dinner Christen and Tobin share many stolen glances. It does not go unnoticed by the three other women at the table.

During one particularly long stolen glance, Allie speaks up “So Chris, are you dating anyone?”

Tobin shoots daggers at Allie saying _You didn’t even KNOW if she was dating anyone before you brought me here??_

Christen looks down at her plate and hopes that no one can see the blush on her cheeks as she answers “Uh, no. Not dating anyone at the moment. Work is just taking up all of my time. And, I haven’t met anyone worth the while honestly.”

Kelley chimes in with “How can you meet someone when you never go out to where the people are? We have been trying to get Christen to go out with us for what feels like YEARS at this point! Have either of you been to that girl party down in SoHo? Em and I checked it out last night and it was sooo much fun. We’re going back in a couple of weeks. You should come! Christen is coming too, right Pressi?”

“Oh, yea. I was just there last night actually. My best friend dragged me out. It was fun. I wouldn’t mind going again…” Tobin says looking at Christen hoping she will get to see her again. Christen feels her stomach drop at the thought of Tobin being hit on at that party, even more at the thought of Tobin going home with someone from that party.

“I wouldn’t mind being the token straight if it means getting Tobin out of house three times in one month! Plus, I love being hit on by beautiful women, it does wonders for my self-esteem. I swear if I wasn’t so tragically straight, I would’ve married Tobin by now. Right Harry?”

Tobin has to chuckle, “As if I’d have you. You’re not my type Harry.”

“So, I’m assuming your single Tobin? What’s your type? And, please don’t say small brunettes with freckles and a killer smile. Kelley might immediately leave me. ” Emily says with a huge smile on her face.

Kelley nudges her girlfriend and gives her a quick kiss. “Yes, please don’t say I’m your type. I’m not sure I could handle that.” Emily smacks her playfully. Tobin laughs out loud and Christen grins from ear to ear because what a beautiful sound.

“Uh, I’ve only ever been in two serious relationships and I guess the women kind of had similar physical characteristics, but otherwise they were like night and day…” Tobin says reluctantly, keeping her eyes down.

“Do tell what those physical characteristics were Tobito.” Kelly says. _Tobito? Where did that come from?_ Kelley thinks _._

Tobin doesn’t seem to mind though, she says “Uh, well, they were both athletic and uh, pretty, brunettes, with brown skin.”

“Did you really date Shirley Cruz? You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to but, if you do, you’d literally be making my life because I just always wondered if that was a rumor or not, along with like a million other obsessed fans.” Emily rattles off quickly and looks up at Tobin with the most hopeful blue eyes Tobin has ever seen.

Christen chimes in, “Em, don’t interrogate her, we want her to come back again. Sorry Tobin.”

“Nah, it’s okay. Tobin says with a smirk. Yea, Shirley and I were together for a few years. Just please promise me you won’t go writing a fanfic about it or anything.”

Kelley and Emily laugh out loud and then look at each other _well there goes that idea._

The girls continue on for a few more hours. The banter is non-stop. Christen can’t remember the last time she laughed so hard. Tobin is actually pretty hilarious when you get her to say more than a few consecutive sentences. _Gosh, I could listen to her laugh all day, Christen thinks_ as she watches Tobin laugh at Kelley’s latest attempt at getting her to sign her bra. 6 bottles of wine later Allie says it’s time for them to head out much to everyone’s dismay, even Tobin’s.

“Awww come on! Don’t leave, I just got to meet my idol! Kelley says.

“Your idol gets up to go on a daily jog every morning at 6 AM Kels. She needs her beauty sleep, so she can keep jogging and being your idol.” Allie says.

Tobin laughs, “I wish she was wrong, but alas, we must go. It was so awesome meeting all of you though and Kel…lets stay in touch. You’re a great time dude.”

Kelley looks at Emily in disbelief, her eyes say _Did you hear that? She has a nickname for me!_ And immediately pulls out her phone. She almost drops it on the way but manages to get it together and hand it off to Tobin gingerly with a “Yea, uh, I wouldn’t want to disappoint the great Tobin Heath. “Lets hang man! Lets kick the old ball around…or whatever you want. I’m ALWAYS free. Whenever. Just text me!” Tobin laughs and nods her head as she puts her number into Kelley’s phone as _Tobito Burrito._

Tobin would be lying if she said that she didn’t give Kelley her number in the hopes that it would increase her chances of seeing Christen again. Maybe Kelley would even give it to Christen. Maybe Christen would come out in two weeks to that girl party. She calls herself to get Kelley’s number too and hands the phone back to her. Allie and Tobin hug Emily and Kelley and make their way to the front door. Christen is waiting in the hallway with their jackets. She hands Allie’s hers first then Tobin hers. Their fingers graze each other again and this time, it seems like they may have done it on purpose, but neither can be sure. Christen gives Allie a hug and thanks her for coming again. Then she turns to Tobin with her arms out stretched and Tobin walks into them bringing her into one of her bear hugs. They both take the moment to breathe each other in. Christen’s senses are overwhelmed. She can feel Tobin’s muscular and warm body against hers and it makes her knees feel weak and her throat go dry. She breathes Tobin in and she thinks no one has ever smelled so good. Tobin’s scent was unique. It suited her so perfectly. She smelled like fresh linen with a hint of sandalwood and shampoo. Christen thought that scent should be bottled and sold somewhere for thousands of dollars a drop. Recognizing at the same time that they had been holding on for a just a few seconds longer than socially acceptable for a friendly hug, they both let go and smile at one another.

Tobin is the first to speak “Thank you so much for everything Christen. I had an amazing time. I hope we can hang out again soon.”

Christen looks into Tobin’s soft, beautiful brown orbs and smiles. “Me too. Thank you so much for putting up with the Spanish Inquisition earlier. Kelley can be a bit much sometimes.”

Tobin chuckles at that and turns to walk out of the door, but not before turning back around one more time and saying “Get my number from Kelley and hit me up! Sweet dreams Chris!”


	5. Take the Bull by The Horns

Tobin and Allie barely say a word to each other on the ride home from Christen's apartment. Nothing needs to be said. Tobin is totally naming her first born after Allie. Allie knows it and all she can do is smirk triumphantly to herself as Tobin looks out of the car window and tries to think of ways she can spend time with Christen soon. Even if Christen does decide to come to the girl party in two weeks, two weeks seems like an eternity to wait and see her again. She didn't get Christen's number so she can only hope that she actually does get _her's_ from Kelley like Tobin had suggested. She _coooould_ ask Allie for it, but she looks too damn smug right now and Tobin doesn't want to deal with all the "I told you so's" she'd get if she sparked up a conversation. What seems like seconds later the car is pulling up to their brownstone. They walk up the stairs and inside in comfortable silence. 

Tobin pauses at the foot of the stairs leading to her apartment and turns to Allie- "Hey Harry..." Tobin says timidly. Allie smiles and puts her hand out, silently asking for Tobin's phone, she programs Christen's number in and hands it back to Tobin all without saying a word. The women look at each other with a grins on their faces and go to their respective apartments with a "good night Harry".

Back at Christen's place, Kelley and Emily are ranting on and on about how amazing Tobin is in person.

"She's everything I thought she would be and more...so much more." Kelley says with a dreamy look on her face.

Emily turns to her with a frown, "Now that you have her number are you going to literally ignore my life and try to make plans with her every single day?".

"No way babe! Not EVERY single day...just most days." Kelley says matter of factly. 

"Nice! Doesn't matter any way because she's only using you to get to Christen." Emily quips as she turns to Christen. "You two with the heart eyes all night. It was almost painful to watch!"

Christen looks up from cleaning in that moment with wide eyes. "What?! No! I mean, she's beautiful and sexy. There's no denying it, but there were no heart eyes..." 

"Yea, and I don't have freckles! Good LORD Pressy wake up and smell the unadulterated sex you could be having with this literal GODDESS! I have her number ya know...I could just innocently give it to you...if you want...I'm sure Tobin wouldn't mind." Kelley smirks.

Kelley doesn't know that Tobin already suggested Christen get her number from her, and Christen will not be telling her tonight. There's no need to add fuel to the already raging fire. 

"I...I mean, duh! Of course I want it! But, it's a bad idea Kel. She's like a super famous athlete. I'm just a boring, advertising exec who spends most of her nights in bed by 9 PM with her dogs. I am so boring in fact, that I wouldn't even date myself! Plus, so what if there is a physical attraction there? There needs to be more than that for it to work. What could we possibly have in common? What do I have to offer someone like her?"

Emily and Kelley just look at each other and shake their heads in disbelief at Christen who is so flustered that she drops a pan into the sink and splashes soapy water all over herself.

"Chris, you may not be a famous athlete, but you're a super star at what you do. You're the youngest VP at any Fortune 500 in this city. You're ambitious, driven, smart, kind, funny and generous. You have your shit together to say the least. You're just as well traveled as she is. And, the cherry on top is that you're SMOKIN' HOT! So what if you're in bed by 9 PM most nights? I'm sure that'll change once you're having mind blowing sex with Tobin Heath. Just do it!!! I'm sure you have a bunch of things in common, you won't know unless you try. Right?" Emily says. 

"Ugh, I don't know Em. What if she breaks my heart into a gazillion pieces? It's scary. I don't want to be vulnerable like that again."

"That's part of life Chris. We're all scared of heart break. But, it's true what they say, It's better to have loved and lost then to not have loved at all and all that jazz right? Just, give me your phone and stop being...you. Plus, think of me!! Don't be selfish! If you guys date, then we can all be BFF's! I would know Tobin for the rest of my life. I just found her! You can't take that from me Christen! I won't let you! Give me the phone...NOW!"

Christen doesn't make a move towards her phone, so Emily hands it to Kelley and she programs Tobin's number in. 

"Welp, we better be off." Emily says before Christen can say or do anything. 

They both give her a big hug and thank her for the delicious dinner. Once the women are out the door Christen leans up against it with a sigh. She walks over and plops down on her couch next to the dogs.   
  


"What do you guys think? Should I make a complete fool of myself and text Tobin Heath like she's a normal person? Should I wait a couple of weeks and subject myself to drunken Kelley and that girl party in case she's there? Should I delete the number and move on with my boring life? Should I stop talking to you like you're going to answer me?" Christen sighs. 

Just as she finishes her sentence her phone pings with a new message. _It must be Kelley. She's probably texting to tell her to stop thinking and just do it._ Christen slowly walks over to her phone and picks it up ready to respond to Kelley's message, except the message isn't from Kelley, it's from Tobin "Too Sexy" Heath. 

Christen laughs at the name Kelley programmed Tobin's phone number in as. 

Tobin "Too Sexy" Heath: Hey Christen, it's Tobin. I hope you don't mind, but I got your number from Allie. I just wanted to say thank you again for tonight. I really did have a great time. Also, I didn't want to leave you getting my number from Kelley to chance, just in case chance wasn't on my side ;).

Christen reads and re-reads Tobin's text. She feels like a high school girl who just found out her crush might like her back. It takes her a few minutes but she finally gets up the courage to respond.

Christen "Too Gorgeous" Press: Hey Tobin, I don't mind at all. Kelley actually gave me your number before she headed out tonight too. And something tells me that chance is usually on your side :), but I'm glad you took the "bull by the horns" so to speak. 

Tobin "Too Sexy" Heath: Haha, you'd be surprised how many times it hasn't been! Speaking of taking the bull by the horns, would it be too forward of me to ask you out for coffee sometime soon? 

Christen can hear her heart pounding in her chest at that last text. She can't believe how forward Tobin is being, and how much she likes it. With trembling fingers she goes to answer, before she can, Tobin sends another text.

Tobin "Too Sexy" Heath: Or maybe I should've asked if you even drink coffee first. Sorry, I'm not good at this. Haha.

Christen "Too Gorgeous" Press: Lol, it's okay. Coffee and I are in a serious relationship actually, and yes, I'd love to have coffee with you sometime. 

Tobin "Too Sexy" Heath: Lucky coffe ;). No, but seriously, I know what you mean. "No coffee, no talkie." That's me in the mornings. Are you free tomorrow? Is that too soon? 

Christen thinks about this for a minute. Would it be too eager of her to agree to meeting for coffee so soon? She doesn't want to come off as desperate even though she's TOTALLY desperate. Then again, Tobin doesn't seem to care if _she's_ coming off as desperate. Maybe they can just be desperate together... _Fuck it!_

Christen "Too Gorgeous" Press: It's never too soon for coffee and good company. What time were you thinking? 

Tobin "Too Sexy" Heath: Uh, well, I usually have my coffee in the mornings. Have you ever been to Cafe Lalo's on West 83rd Street? 

Christen "Too Gorgeous" Press: Is that an actual question? Can you say you live in NYC if you haven't been to Cafe Lalo's?? Yes, I love it there. I think they open at 9 AM. How does 9:30 sound?

Tobin "Too Sexy" Heath: Hahaha, good! I love it too. 9:30 sounds great. In case you forgot what I look like, I'll be the one with the red rose :).

Christen laughs at the _You've Got Mail_ reference. That is one of her favorite movies and the reason she ever went to Cafe Lalo's in the first place. 

Christen "Too Gorgeous" Press: I promise not to stand you up ;). I'm off to bed now, but I'll see you tomorrow morning :). 

Tobin "Too Sexy" Heath: Good :). Sweet dreams Christen. I'll see you soon.

Christen and Tobin fall asleep later that night with a smile on their faces and hopeful hearts. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No slow burn here...for now. 
> 
> I hope you all are enjoying so far. Thank you for all of the kudos, constructive criticism and suggestions! I appreciate it all more than you can know.


	6. Snowed In

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Writer's block is real.  
> 2\. Being an adult is just an inconvenience.  
> 3\. PREATH is VERY allegedly engaged, that's enough for me and calls for a celebration. 
> 
> Here is what I could push out in a small amount of time you guys. Be gentle. lol

The women wake up the next morning still smiling. That is until, they look at their phones and they have a severe weather alert warning notification. The headlines read "Powerful winter storm set to hit the New York Metropolitan Area Sunday morning through Monday night."

Tobin is the first to wake up that morning. She had planned on getting an even earlier start so that she had enough time to get ready for her coffee date with Christen after her work out. She reaches over for the remote to turn on the local news. _"...residents are urged to stay in doors as conditions continue to deteriorate. Folks, if you don't need to be out and about, stay inside. We are expecting 12 to 24 inches of snow in the next 24 hours paired with wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour. If you take a look outside right now, you'll see that the snowfall is starting to pick up considerably. In just a few hours, that intensity is going to increase..."_

She pulls the covers off her body and walks over to her window and looks out into the snowy weather. There's something magical about New York City at such an early hour during a snow storm. It looks like post card. The snow is perfectly white, untouched by the morning hustle and bustle that will ultimately turn it into gray slush that splashes up the back of your legs with each step and almost always ruins your clothing.

_Fuck. There goes my run and my date._ Tobin reaches for her phone and looks at the time. It's 5:30 AM. _Christen probably isn't awake yet. She'll just get her workout in by running on her treadmill and hitting some weights at home, and then send her a text to reschedule._ "This stinks. I was really looking forward to seeing her." Tobin says out loud as turns from the window and starts getting on her workout gear.

* * *

On the other side of town, Christen is wide awake catching up on the news of this impending storm that's supposed to hit the city in the next few hours, continue overnight and completely ruin her day. With a frown on her face, she looks at the time.

 _5:45 AM, I wonder if Tobin is up yet? Would it be crazy to text her this early? She'll probably be relieved she doesn't have to trek to the cafe this morning. This stinks._ _I was really looking forward to seeing her._

Christen lays in bed a bit longer than she normally would, but she is pretty disappointed and quite honestly, super cozy. _Is it crazy to wish Tobin was here with me? Yes Christen, you JUST met the girl. Get a grip!_

Unwillingly, Christen gets up out of bed and takes the dogs out before the storm really picks up. When she gets back upstairs, she starts looking through her fridge and pantry, making sure she has enough food and water for herself and the dogs in case they get snowed in for longer than a day or two. She does, so she makes her over to the couch with a hot cup of tea and turns on the television to catch up on the latest with the storm. Her phone goes off about 10 minutes in. She takes a look at the clock in the kitchen, it reads 7:03 AM. She grabs her phone to read the message that just came through. It's Kelley.

Kelley: What is this storm?? We were going to go to a boozy brunch and now we are stuck inside. Rude! How are you all doing? Do you have everything you need to hunker down for a couple of days?

Pressi: Ugh, tell me about it. I actually had made plans with Tobin last night to meet up for coffee this morning and now we won't be able to. I'm pretty upset about that, but otherwise, we're all good on this end. Just snuggling on the couch. How about you?

Kelley: HOLD UP! WHAT??! You were supposed to meet up with Tobin today??? Like, what? How? When did this happen? And you didn't tell me...I'm just...WHAT? Explain. 

Pressi: LOL, calm down Kel. She actually texted me last night after you all left. She got my number from Allie. We texted back and forth a bit and she-

In the middle of typing her message Christen gets an incoming Facetime call from Kelley. _SO impatient._ Christen picks up to keep Kelley from risking her life trying to get to her apartment for more details. 

"Hey Kel." Christen picks up with a sheepish look on her face. Kelley is looking back at her with a mixture of excitement and annoyance, but mostly excitement.

"What the actual fuck Press. SPILL!" Kelley says and in the most stern Kelley voice she can muster considering the giant smile that has made its way onto her face.

Christen cannot help it but smile back at her over eager friend. "Weellll, like I was typing before you rudely interrupted me to Facetime- Tobin and I texted back and forth for a bit after you left last night and she asked me to go for coffee with her this morning. But now, it's just not gonna happen and that's it. It's really not a big deal."

"Not a big deal?!" Kelley practically screams. "You were asked out on a DATE by THE Tobin Heath, which meeeans, that she's legitimately interested in you. On what planet is that not a big deal Pressi? Also, why can't we make this happen? Like, what if you casually invite her over? Isn't she only like a 10 minute ride from you?"

Christen cannot believe that she is even entertaining Kelley's crazy idea for a second, but sadly, she is and she really needs to get a grip on reality. Even if she did want to invite Tobin over despite the storm, why would Tobin brave this storm to come to Christen's and possibly get stuck at Christen's when she can stay in the warm and safety of her own home? It would be insane and not to mention selfish of Christen to ask her to do that. She feels bad even thinking about asking. Kelley always just has the worst ideas...right?

"There is absolutely no way that I'm going to ask Tobin to do that. They're telling people to stay in doors on the news. It's clearly unsafe to travel. No way Kel." 

"Um, Chris, I've walked a gazillion blocks in weather ten times worse than this. It hasn't even really started to pick up yet. Stop being a Californian. Also, stop wasting precious time and text Tobin. Ask her to come to your place. Spend the next the next 24 hours letting her pleasure you in every way imaginable- I mean, getting to know her. It'll be great. Trust me. Gosh, I always have the best ideas. I should do some consulting on the side. No, but seriously. I'm hanging up now and you're gonna go GET YOUR GIRL CHRIS!!! GEEEETTT IIIIIIT! Love you! Mean it! Byyyeee!"

Kelley hangs up before Christen can get in a word edge-wise. She sits there starring at the screen on her phone. _I'm not going to do that. There's no way..._

Christen gets up to look out her window and gauge the situation. It's snowing but, very lightly, there are a great deal of cars driving up and down the avenue. _They don't seem to be having a problem...CHRISTEN. NO!...UUGHH! FINE!_ She reaches for her phone and starts messaging Tobin. _Here goes nothing._


	7. The One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm so sorry that this update took so long. Work is kicking my ass, but now with this whole Coronavirus craziness, I should have more time at home to write. Thank you for being so patient and for showing all the love. It's always appreciated.

Tobin had just finished running through the last few sets of drills in her apartment when she heard a knock at her door. She looked at her watch- 7:49 AM. She assumed it was Allie, so she took her time walking to the door to let her in. _I should just give her a spare key at this point._ She was dripping in sweat. What was supposed to be a quick run and a light work out turned into a an hour of some serious reps. _Your 34 year old body is going to pay for that one later._ She thinks as she looks through her peep hole to make sure it's Allie.

To her surprise, it isn't. "Pinoe! Dude, what are you doing here man? Don't you watch the news? We're about to get clobbered by this storm. How did you even get in the building?" Pinoe pushed in past Tobin with a couple of what looked to be coffees and a brown paper bag. "Storm shmorm. How long have you lived in New York? They always exaggerate and then we get like two flurries and it's over. Anyway, since you decided you didn't want to text me back after Friday night, I figured I'd invite myself over. You know I hate talking on the phone. Did you even READ my text?? I said I think I met THE ONE. As in THE ONE, ONE. Like wifey fo' lifey. And, Allie let me in. She was on her way out." Tobin walks over to her and grabs a coffee and the brown paper bag. She looks inside,"Mmmm, croissants. I'm starving. THE ONE huh? Do tell, although, I think I've heard this story before..." Pinoe forcefully grabs the brown paper bag back from Tobin and starts to the door, "You know what? You don't deserve to hear it. I'm taking my delicious croissants and I'm leaving!" 

"Whoooaa! Whoa. Please don't leave. I'm really starving dude. Come on, give it back and I'll listen like the great friend you know I am."

"If you were such a great friend, you would've already heard the story and been congratulating me, but I'll let it pass, just this once." Pinoe says facing the door. She turns around quickly and walks past Tobin and sits at the kitchen bar. She takes one croissant out of the bag and stuffs it in her mouth while handing the bag back over to Tobin. With her mouth half full she starts speaking. "Anyyywhoo...so, after you RUDELY Irish Goodbye'd me on Friday night, this GODDESS of a woman came over to me at the bar and offered to buy me a drink. Tobes, this girl. THIS GIRL is...she is...special man. She's gorgeous, smart, funny, sexy as all hell, and gorgeous!!

Tobin chuckles while she takes a sip of her coffee. "Okay. Does she have a name?"

Pinoe is staring off into space with a dreamy look in her eyes and a big grin on her face- "Sue. Sue Bird."

Tobin starts to choke on the food in her mouth. Pinoe gives her a quizzical look and pats her on the back. "Dude, are you alright. Did you forget how to chew or something?"

"SUE BIRD??!"

"Yea! Sue Bird! What's the problem?"

"Uh, um...dude, doesn't that name sound familiar to you?"

"I mean, it's a nice name...should it sound familiar to me? Oh em gee, please do not tell me you've banged her! I would die! TOBIN! TOBIN! Look at me! You did not sleep with her did you? I'll kill you."

"WHAT?! NO! Calm down. I didn't sleep with her. But, I do know her. I mean, she's an acquaintance."

"How? And, why have you never introduced us? I thought we were tight!"

"Well, you've never come to the ESPY's with me. That's usually where we cross paths."

"So? What? What do you mean? Why would she be at the ESPY's?"

"Oh, um, only because she's like one of the greatest Women's Pro Basketball Players of all-time. No big deal."

Pinoe's jaw drops, her eyes get wide and she starts pacing the room. "I mean, I did think she was awfully tall, but, what?! Oh wow, why didn't she tell me? What am I going to do? I can't date her! I'm just a lawyer. Not even corporate law, like the law where you don't make any real money, law. What am I going to do?"

Tobin gets up and walks over to Pinoe and grabs her shoulders, leads her over to the couch and sits her down."You're going to stop pacing first. Then you're going to stop putting yourself down. Any girl would be lucky to have you. What you do is noble work. Don't think I don't know how many cases you take on pro-bono. You're a great person Pinoe and so is Sue, beyond her sport. Basketball is what she loves and she's good at it, but she's so much more. So chill dude. She'll tell you when the time is right. I'm sure she just doesn't want her celebrity to be an issue right now. I'm kinda in the same boat."

"I mean, I guess you're right. And, you're like a celebrity, famous, sports person too. Would you date me?"

"Um, no. But not because you aren't a great person. You just chew like a horse. It's very off-putting." Tobin says with a smirk.

Pinoe pushes Tobin so hard she falls off the couch. "Fuck you. Your face is off-putting. And, I do not! Also, what did you mean you're in the same boat? How did you meet someone in like the 24 hours since I last saw you? You don't even leave your apartment unless someone drags you out."

Tobin stands up and walks over to the kitchen to grab her coffee again. "Listen, before we get into that, give Sue a chance. She's not the type to hit on people at bars, so she must be really interested. Don't freak out. Just be yourself! Okay?"

"Yea, yea. Okay, but tell me...who'd you meet?"

"A GODDESS of a woman! She's gorgeous, smart, funny, sexy as hell and gorgeous!"

"Very funny. You're just full of jokes today. Tell me really."

"I dunno man. _Tobin sighs._ I've just never connected with someone this quickly in my life. And, all jokes aside, she IS gorgeous, smart, funny, and sexy as all hell. She's an old friend of Allie's from back in high school. They recently reconnected and she invited Allie for dinner last night at her place. Allie dragged me with her. And yes, she was totally playing cupid, but now, I can't even be mad. I haven't EVER felt this way so quickly about someone. It's like I NEED to know her. I don't know how to explain it."

Pinoe has never seen her friend speak this way about anyone and she's a bit floored, but she can't help herself. Teasing Tobin is her favorite past time these days. So, she puts her arm around Tobin, leans her head against the girls' and whispers, "Aww Tobes, that's the gayest shit I've ever heard." 

Tobin tries to push Pinoe off of her, but she's holding on too tightly. "Just kiiiiiddding!! That's amazing!! This is so exciting! We both met wifey on the same weekend. Is this real life?! What's this GODDESS' name?"

"Christen Press. And, take it easy. No wifey talk. We just met. And, I was supposed to meet her for coffee today, but with this stupid storm, I don't think that's going to happen now. I'm super bummed."

"Tobin. Tobes. Toblerone. Look outside...what storm? What time are supposed to meet?"

"OH SHIT!" Tobin runs to get her phone off her charger. "Shit, shit! What time is it?! I meant to text her and figure out when we could reschedule after my work out, then you showed up."

Pinoe yells after her, "Well, soooorryy. I didn't mean to be such an inconvenience! Had I known you were going to get a life in such a short amount of time, I would've texted before I came!!"

Tobin walks back in the room with a huge grin on her face. 

"What? Did she send nudes?"

"Shut up. No. She wants me to come over..."

"WELL COME ON CINDERELLA! WE GOTTA GET YOU READY FOR THE BALL!"


	8. Baby It's Cold Outside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, don't hate me. Quarantining and working from home are not as conducive to writing as I thought they would be. I spend more time working than I would if I was actually at work. 
> 
> Thank you for your patience as always. And because I made you wait, here is a tiny bit of fluff before the smut :). This is my first time writing anything like this, so I hope it isn't too terrible. 
> 
> Hope you are all staying safe! xoxo.

Christen sat on her couch trying not to look at her phone but being unable to stop glancing at it from time to time in the hopes that it would buzz and Tobin could put her out of her misery. _She's not going to want to come all the over here when she can stay in the comfort of her own home during a snow storm. Don't get your hopes up Christen._ Five minutes earlier she had texted Tobin asking her if she'd like to come over to her place for coffee instead since this storm was supposed to hit right around the time they had scheduled to meet. Adding that she had a "pretty sweet" espresso machine at home and could make any kind of coffee they wanted. She made a mental note to thank Kelley and Emily for getting her that machine as a Christmas/birthday present last year. As she was lost in thought, her phone buzzed. Christen reluctantly it picked up, FULLY expecting that she would be disappointed by Tobin's response, after all, they barely knew each other. But much to her surprise and complete excitement, she had agreed to come over. Christen shot straight up off her couch, scaring the dogs and sprinted to the kitchen to make sure she had everything they would need for a successful coffee date.

"Almond milk, check. Half and Half, check. Regular creamer, check. Oat milk, check. I mean, I don't know how she takes her coffee, but I'm covered there." 

She walked over to her pantry, "Coffee, check. Pastries, check!"

After she was done, she calmly walked over to her phone and sent Tobin a response trying not to sound too excited. She had changed Tobin's name in her phone to just "Tobin (soccer ball emoji)", as if she knew any other Tobins. There was no way she was going to risk the girl seeing what Kelley had saved her as.

Awesome! Do you remember my address or do you need it? What time can we expect you? :) Christen texted.

Tobin: Can you send it to me again please? And, how does our original time sound? 9:30?

_That's in a half hour! I have to get ready!! That's not enough time. Answer her Christen. You'll figure it out._

Christen sped to her room while answering Tobin. In a half hour, she was going to be alone in her apartment with TOBIN HEATH. This amazing human. _What does one wear to this? Wear what you would've worn to Lalo's. No. That's too much, you're home. Wear something super comfy and casual, but sexy. Not too sexy, you don't want to look desperate, or worse, like a big 'ol slut. Or maybe...NO. OMG._

After having an internal conversation with the angel on her left shoulder and the little devil on the right, Christen decided to go with a pair of black yoga pants, and a gray off the shoulder jersey sweater that stopped just above the waist of her pants, exposing the perfect amount of skin on her tummy. She didn't have time to straighten her hair, so she wore it down and naturally curly like she had the night before. She was putting on lip gloss about 35 minutes later when she heard a knock at her door. Trying to act normally, Christen took her time walking from her bedroom to the front door. She took a deep breath, looked through the peep hole and there she was...Tobin Heath looking as gorgeous as she remembered. Christen open the door and flashed a big, bright smile at Tobin, who returned it. _And if this was a battle of the smiles, Christen has no doubt in her mind that she would lose miserably._

Hi. Christen says slightly out of breath.

Hey. Tobin says and still smiling holds up a white box. " Sorry, I'm late, but, I come bearing a quiche. I didn't know if you had had breakfast yet but I thought we could pair it with coffee. I had the driver stop off on the way here..."

Christen can't wipe the smile off her face as she leans against her door staring at this adorable human in front of her. 

When Christen doesn't respond. Tobin says,"So, this is the second day in a row that you have made me wait out in your hallway before inviting me into your place... " 

"OMG. What is wrong with me? I swear I have manners." Christen chuckles and quickly steps aside and ushers Tobin in. "I'm sorry. It's just...thank you so much for bringing the quiche! That was very sweet of you. I haven't had breakfast yet. Now that I think of it, I"m actually really hungry."

Tobin walks into the apartment slowly. This is different than last night. They would be alone. Just her and Christen and all of a sudden she was nervous. After all, this woman was a complete stranger. But, Tobin has never wanted to get to know any stranger more than she wants to know Christen. She welcomed this nervousness. She has not felt this way...ever. This excited nervousness was a feeling reserved for the time right before a big game. Tobin was not used to feeling this way about a person, only soccer, the love of her life. _What does this mean?_ Tobin could not wait to find out as she slowly walked into Christen's apartment and possibly into a new chapter of her life. 

* * *

Two hours, two and a half cappuccinos, half a quiche and many laughs later, Tobin is the first to reluctantly break eye contact with Christen. She has been completely mesmerized by this woman from the moment she met her and now that she's starting to learn who she is as a person, Tobin cannot get enough. Christen is really an impressive human. Aside from the long list of accomplishments in her career, her kind nature, and clearly beautiful soul, this woman can make an amazing cup of coffee. As much as she does not want to leave Christen right now, she has to check and see what the weather is doing, so that she can make sure she leaves in time to be able to it home safely. She stands up from the couch with her cappuccino in front of the fire Christen had lit for them to walk over to the large windows and look out over the city. Christen follows her worried that if the weather was getting worse, Tobin would be forced to cut their coffee date short. 

"Oh no." Tobin sighs starring wide-eyed out the window.

Christen looks over Tobin's shoulder at the massive storm that is brewing outside. On a normal day, she can see the New York City skyline without a problem in this moment all she sees is large white flakes dropping out of the sky at a rapid pace, the skyline is completely obscured. She quickly walks over to turn on her television for the latest on the weather. When she turns on the news, there is a reporter out in the storm barely able to keep his eyes open as the snow pelts him in the face.

" _If you look behind me Jane, you can see most of stores on 7th avenue and through out the city_ _have already closed, deciding to get ahead of this storm. There are no cars out in the street, and I have only seen one brave soul walking out here in the past hour. The wind has really started to pick up and the worst is yet to come. If you do not have to be out, please, we urge you to stay home. These conditions are getting more and more dangerous by the minute. Visibility is extremely low and the temperature continues to drop at a rapid pace. We've seen an accumulation of over 6 inches of snow in the past hour. We are expecting 2 to 3 feet before this is all said and done. Hunker down at home with some hot cocoa and stay warm everyone."_

Christen feels horrible. She selfishly asked Tobin to come out in this terrible weather. She turns around to look at her. Tobin is standing wide-eyed still looking at the television even though Christen had already turned it off. Christen touches Tobin's shoulder to bring her out of her daze. "Tobin, I'm so, so sorry. If it wasn't for me you'd be home right now. It was really selfish of me to ask you to come here when I knew we had such bad weather coming. I just really wanted to spend some more time with you." 

Tobin looks at Christen with the softest and sweetest of smiles. "No, this isn't your fault. I made the decision to come see you and I don't regret it. I wanted to spend more time with you too.This has been great. Really, I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but I do have to go now if I want to make it home this year." Tobin chuckles."Let me check and see if there are any UBER's running." Tobin reaches into her pocket for her phone. Every bone in her body wants to stay there with Christen on her comfy couch, in front of that warm fire. She wants to spend the whole evening asking Christen questions about herself, getting to know this beautiful woman, looking deep into her gorgeous green-gray eyes.

_Mental note, remember to kill Pinoe. Flurries my ass._ Tobin thinks to herself as she opens the app. Christen clears her throat and Tobin looks up at her. Christen looks super nervous, she walks over to the brown-eyed beauty in her living room and stands about a foot away from her. Tobin doesn't bother to look away and focus on finding a car to take her home. She stares at Christen until she starts to speak hesitantly in the smallest voice she's heard her use all morning.

"Would you consider staying here tonight? I just don't want to put you in any unnecessary danger getting home and I have a spare bedroom and anything you would need to be comfortable...IF you want. I would totally understand if that'd be weird for you. I mean, I know we JUST met yesterday...I don't know. It's up to you. If you want..." Christen quickly looks down and starts playing with the rings on her fingers.

It's the cutest thing Tobin's ever seen and her heart melts at how sweet and considerate Christen is. Without thinking she reaches out and takes one of Christen's hands in hers, intertwining their fingers in the process. She can't help but think that their hands fit perfectly together. It's like they were made to hold one another. She brings her other hand under Christen's chin and guides it up so that their eyes meet. She can feel Christen hold her breath and if she's being honest with herself, she's been holding her breath since their hands touched. 

"Chris, I'd love to stay. I'm having such a great time with you. I don't want to go anywhere."

Christen brings her free hand up to Tobin's face and softly runs her thumb along Tobin's perfectly sculpted cheekbone. _God, she's beautiful. Christen thinks._ Their faces are less than a foot apart now. She's never been one to kiss on a first date, or even the second date, but right now, in this moment with Tobin, their fingers intertwined, and her big, beautiful, golden brown eyes staring back at her, full with the same want Christen is sure her green ones are reflecting back, there's nothing she wants more than to kiss this woman. So, without thinking (for the first time in a very long time), Christen leans in and firmly presses her lips against Tobin's. 

They stay this way for a few seconds, just reveling in the feeling each other's mouths, then Tobin releases Christen's hand and brings it up to her hip, confidently pulling her in until their bodies are flush against each other and simultaneously titling her head and parting her lips to deepen the kiss. That causes Christen to moan softly into Tobin's mouth. That moan is all the encouragement Tobin needs to run her tongue softly along the inside of Christen's soft upper lip and then into her mouth to meet Christen's eager tongue with her own. They kiss, softly at first, then the kiss builds into a hungry one. Both women holding each other tightly, not wanting there to be anything in between them, not even air. This kiss is so heated, and perfect that they wonder if they can even classify what they've done in the past as kissing in comparison to this. After many more minutes of this Christen breaks away to catch her breath. She holds Tobin's perfect face in her hands, with their foreheads pressing against each other. Tobin speaks first. 

"Whoa." She sighs deeply. 

"Whoa is right." Christen says in response.

Christen guides Tobin to her bedroom and Tobin follows without asking any questions.

"Come, lets get you in something more comfortable." Christen says with a smirk. 

Tobin thinks she might have died and gone to heaven. 


	9. Getting to know you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tobin and Christen "get to know each other better".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know. I suck and I am so sorry that it took me so long to post an update. I blame work, a lack of inspiration and just plain laziness to be honest. Nonetheless, here is an update. Thank you for being so patient as always. I hope you are all staying safe in this crazy new world. xoxo

Tobin felt like she was having an outer-body experience as Christen led her down the dark hallway to her bedroom. Her whole body was tingling, her face was numb. She couldn't seem to catch her breath, but her mind was still. There was nothing else in this world but Christen's soft hand in hers and when she looked back and gave her shy smile before slowly opening the door to her room, Tobin knew, she was a goner.  
  
Christen turned on a soft yellow light and stood in front of her canopy style king sized bed with Tobin's hand still in hers and looked up at her through long eyelashes. "So...this is my room." _Duh, Christen. What are you 16?_ "I mean, obviously, this is my room." Christen giggles nervously.

Tobin walks tentatively towards her, never letting go of her hand. "Yea, I see that. It's a very nice room." Tobin says without ever having once stopped looking at Christen to take in her surroundings.

"I don't want you to think I do this all of the time, because I don't Tobin. I don't usually even kiss someone on the first date." Now that she's had a few minutes to come down from the high of that mind blowing kiss she shared with Tobin, her anxiety was starting to get the best of her.

That statement brings Tobin back from the haze she'd been in. "Uh, oh no! I mean, I didn't think you did. Or, I mean, I don't either. I mean, I have! BUT, not all the time...this is different is what I'm saying..." Tobin sighs and stills herself. She looks right into Christen's beautiful eyes and says, "You're different Chris."

Christen looks back at her and sees a sincerity in the other woman's eyes that warms her from the top of her head to bottom of her feet.

Before she even knows what she's doing, Christen is walking over to Tobin and taking the woman's face in her hands. Tobin takes this as an invitation to kiss Christen again. This kiss is just as amazing as the first but there's something more there that wasn't before. Carnal hunger. Tobin wants Christen and Christen wants Tobin. They want all of each other and it's obvious. It's been obvious since the moment they met.

Christens lips are the softest Tobin has ever felt, she can't seem to get enough. The sentiment is obviously reciprocated with every moan that comes out of Christen anytime there's even a centimetre of space between their lips. Hands start to roam. Tobin's hands find their way down from Christen's beautiful, slender, long neck, to her torso, and slowly down to her hips where they rest for a few seconds before moving down to their desired spot on her amazing backside. Tobin had been fighting looking at it every time Christen stood up to go to the kitchen earlier.

She's a professional athlete, she's seen her fair share of perfectly sculpted bodies, but none could compare to Christen's in those yoga pants.

Tobin relishes in the feeling of holding Christen so intimately to her. Christen moans loudly this time at feeling Tobin's strong hands on her.

She brings her hands to Tobin's silky hair and continues her onslaught on her mouth. Tobin's mouth that she found herself staring at while she spoke. Those perfect lips, she's wanted to kiss since the moment she laid eyes on them. Every kiss was like adding starter fluid to an already roaring fire.

Christen had never felt this before. Heated make out sessions she's had. Someone touching her the way Tobin is, she's had, but the feeling that she never wanted anyone else to kiss her or touch her that way again, that she had never had. And it scared her, so much so, that she slowly pushed Tobin away. She rests her forehead on Tobin's and takes a deep breath.

"We should...we should probably slow down a bit Tobes. I mean, I love all of this and I want to keep doing it, but I don't think we're ready to take the next step just yet. Is that okay?"

Tobin leans back a bit to look Christen in the eyes. "Of course Chris. I really didn't intend for this to happen when I came here. I just wanted to get to know you better. This, Tobin says motioning between her body and Christen's, is just a very pleasant added bonus." She smiles and puts her forehead on Christens again after giving her nose a little nudge. "We can take this as slow or as fast as you want...if you want that is...do you?"

"Tobin, there's nothing more that I want right now. I just didn't expect to have such a...strong reaction to you. I'm not used to feeling this way about someone so quickly. I know what lust is, and this just seems like so much more. You know?"

"I know Chris. Me neither. This is so unexpected for me. And, I don't want to do anything to mess it up, so we'll go at whatever pace you want, for as long as you want. With one exception." Tobin says with a smirk on her face.

Christen smiles at her. "And what's that?"

"I get to kiss you whenever I want." Tobin says in that husky, lusty voice of hers that Christen can't get enough of.

"I think that can be arranged." Christen leans in and gives Tobin a soft, sensual kiss.  
  
"Now, I think the real reason we came into my room was to get you changed into something more comfy. So let me get you some sweats and a t-shirt.”

She walks around Tobin to her dresser and pulls out an old red Joy Division shirt and comfy looking black jogger sweats.

"I think these should fit nicely."

Christen turns around to give Tobin the clothes and her mouth goes dry and her lips part as she takes in a deep breath. While she was looking for the clothes, Tobin had stripped down to just a black sports bra and matching black and white Supreme boxer briefs that hugged her thighs perfectly.

"Sorry, I'm just so used to being half naked around my teammates all of the time. I figured this wouldn't be a big deal."

"It's. Um. No, I mean...that's fine. It's not, it's fine. Gotta get undressed to get re...dressed! Nothing I haven't seen before right?!" 

"Chris, are you okay?" Tobin says looking slightly concerned, but mostly amused at the effect she was having on the woman.

"I'm fine!" Christen says in a high-pitched voice as she shamelessly drags her hungry eyes up Tobin's incredibly sculpted, lean, body.

_Is that an eight pack? I thought they only went to up to six? Who has calves like that?? Who?! How is she so tan? It's the middle of Winter for Christ sake! Take it easy Christen. Just be cool. Don't be a loser._

"Here!" She practically throws the clothes at Tobin. "I'll let you get dressed." And, quickly walks to and out the door, but not before taking one more quick peak at the Goddess in her bedroom. 

_We should probably slow down. I don't usually do this. Oh God Christen, she could be under you or over right now! What an idiot. This is good though. This is healthy. This is...stupid. You should go back in there and rip those clothes right back off of her. NO! Don't do that. You're a mature woman. You can wait. Say what you mean and mean what you say... You're an idiot._

_  
_Christen almost turns back around to her room when Tobin appears in the living room with that smile that could melt a polar ice cap, making her clothes look like they were made for her instead of Christen.

"Thanks for the clothes. They do fit nicely. And, I love this band by the way." Tobin says looking down at the shirt, in that STILL husky voice. 

Before she can say anything else Christen throws herself into Tobin's strong arms, Tobin seamlessly catches her and picks her up by the thighs like she weighs about ten pounds.

They make out hungrily for a couple of minutes. Christen breaks the kiss suddenly. "Take me back to my room please."

"Oh. Yea. Okay. So, this is the pace you want to go now?" Tobin says with a wide smile. 

"Yes. I don't know what I was thinking before. I was trying -kiss- to be- kiss- an adult- kiss, but, adults do what they want right?"

"Yea. Totally. Room. Got it." 

Without a second thought, Tobin carries Christen back into her room never breaking their kiss and all the while thinking, _it's going to be a great weekend._


End file.
